


Andante, Andante

by elloteenah



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F, Family, Fluff, I just like to write fluffy things okay?, Small mention of Charity's past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:55:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22174408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elloteenah/pseuds/elloteenah
Summary: My take on what could have happened after the first I love you's.
Relationships: Charity Dingle/Vanessa Woodfield
Kudos: 80





	Andante, Andante

_"Gross_!” 

The unison soundings out Ryan and Noah were enough to break Charity and Vanessa out of their loving embrace. They broke a part, expecting to see the image of painful warts of a poor man’s testicles or something else equally disturbing that they pray their toddlers attention hasn’t be averted to, given the older boys’ reactions. 

Instead they were faced with a the questionable looks of said boys, who looked more disturbed by them than weird skin growths on naked bodies they had seen on the telly moments beforehand. 

“Could you not have waited ’til I left?” Noah scrunched his nose up. The sound of Johnny and Moses 

“Way to ruin a moment, kid,” Charity barked at her son. 

What she didn't know was it was actually Noah who caught on to what was happening between his Mum and Vanessa and had nudged Ryan to watch them. He would be lying if he said it didn’t make him smile but he wasn’t about to let her know that. Ryan, on the other hand, couldn’t hide his feelings about it and was grinning from ear to ear. He hadn’t been Charity’s life long but it meant the world to him to see his biological mother happy. And, of course, he liked Vanessa, too. 

Vanessa ran a hand down Charity’s back, a sign to let her know Noah didn’t really mean it. 

“Do you know what’s _really_ gross?” the blonde said as she walked towards where they were on her couch, Charity following behind. She sat on the arm of it as they shook their heads. “The pair of you hogging the chocolate, _and_ my sofa! Move up.”

“Boys!” Charity shouted to the playing toddlers as she took Vanessa’s place on the arm while she sandwiched herself between herself and Noah. “Quick. Noie’s eating all the chocolate!” 

The kids where quick on their feet and jumping onto Noah’s lap, waiting to snatch it out of his hands cause they wanted it all, obviously. 

“Can we _please_ not call me that?!”

* * *

Charity had tried to convince Noah to stay the night. She understood Ryan had to go back to Irene’s but there was no real reason had to back to Joe’s, in her eyes. He was nothing special. 

He was having none of it. Really he wanted them to be alone but, again, he wouldn’t tell them that. He knows as the night draws to a close and Moses and Johnny were put to bed, it’d be just the three of them and that thought alone makes him feel awkward. On top of that, as much as he hated to admit it—or even think about it—he knew the pair of them, they would want to be _alone_ , if you catch his drift. He knew how they started their relationship. He was doing everyone a favour. 

Charity eventually let him go. She and Vanessa sat watching some TV in silence afterwards, her head resting the tiny blonde’s shoulder. Their usual position but tonight something about it felt different. Maybe it was because usually in those moments recently those words would threaten to spill out of her mouth and now she had said them, she knew what that warm feeling inside her from before was. _Love_. 

_How fucking crazy is that?_ was the only thought Charity could master.

Before she could get too wrapped up in her thoughts, she excused herself, told Vanessa she was going to go run herself a bath before they went to bed. Vanessa didn’t question it. She reckoned after the week she’s had, her girlfriend needed it. She stayed downstairs and tidied up, she didn’t want Charity to feel any pressure and rush herself into thinking she’ll need to use the bathroom at some point. She waited until she stopped hearing running water before making sure the place was clean to burn more time. She went to check the Moses and Johnny were asleep before she retreated back to her own room. She used the time she was alone to remove her make up and change into her pyjamas. 

Vanessa was sat cross-legged on the middle of bed, trying to put her hair into a messy bun when Charity peeked through the door.

“Hey…,” she said softly.

“Sorry,” Charity said, walking into the room then closing the door behind her. “I didn’t know you if you were in here or not. You been there long?”

“No. I cleaned up downstairs first then checked on the boys,” she replied as she watched the taller blonde put her clothes down as a tile on corner of the room. She didn’t tell her she fished the lasagne dish out the bin just to throw the contents back in then scrub said dish. 

“Oh, are they okay?” 

She had changed into the pyjamas she had started keeping at Tug Ghyll without realising (not that they ever stayed on long). It was easier that packing a bag every time. She still refused the toothbrush, though. That was too much. Still, Vanessa brought one for her spare in case she ever did forget. 

“Yeah, sound-o,” Vanessa smiled.

Charity sat down at the make up table in the room. She released her hair from the towel before dropping it on floor. She didn’t intend to wash it but the thoughts of her father and the trial plunged her head and she put herself under the water in hopes it would drown them out, but Vanessa didn’t need to know that. She had worried her enough. 

“That’s good,” she said before she turned to look at Vanessa, giving her a look that said she would pick it up when she’s done. She ran a hand through her locks. “I’m sorry about dinner, you know. I just thought…”

“It’s okay.”

Vanessa moved from her position on the bed to join Charity. She looked at her through the mirror. She rested her hands on the taller woman’s shoulders and smiled at her before she picked up the brush on the side of table and started running through the end’s of her girlfriend’s hair.

“Vee, you don’t have to, I ca—“

“Nope. Not listening. Please just let me.”

Charity sighed.

“I can’t remember the last time someone brushed my hair for me. I hardly have a memory of my Mum but she must have. Like I never got the chance to do Debbie’s when she was kid. Never spent my mornings arguing with her to keep her head still so I could tie it back. The closest I ever got to it was Noah but even then he hated it because he liked it messy, thinking he looked like some kind of Justin Bieber.” 

Vanessa smiled at the image. “You have Moses. Maybe he’ll grow his hair long for you.”

“Pfft,” Charity rolled her eyes. “Like Ross would let me.”

Vanessa stopped brushing when she could run her hands through the locks easily. “You never know. He might want to grow his hair and Ross can’t do anything about it.”

She watched the smaller blonde through the mirror, a small smile on her lips. She saw her go to plug the dryer in. 

“Babe, I wouldn’t.”

Vanessa stopped in her tracks, the wire caught up between her fingers. “Why not?”

“In case you wake the boys?”

“Oh, yeah!” she hissed through her teeth, pulling a face that made Charity laugh. She put it back down on the table.

Charity couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was about it but she knew it made her fall harder. There was no bad intention behind it. She knew Vanessa was being caring because she wanted to, not because she wanted something in return. Her only intention was to make Charity happy, make her relax and put the day, even if just for the night, behind her. 

“Do you want to tell about your Dad yet?” Vanessa asked as she watched Charity move towards the door, she went to turn the light off while herself sat on the bed and reached over to turn on the bedside lamp next to her side. It was basically their nightly ritual nowadays. 

“Not really, no,” she said as she flipped the switch “You heard what I said to Zak, didn’t ya?”

“Yeah.”

“Right, well, that. I’ve got my boys, Debs, two beautiful grandkids. _You_. I don’t need anybody else.” 

“Okay,” Vanessa whispered. She quickly checked her phone for any messages, when there was nothing she put it back on the drawers. 

Charity stood at the doorway, admiring Vanessa for a moment, wondering how she got so lucky.

Moments like the innocence of seeing her girlfriend check her phone, knowing she checked on not only her own son but Moses as well, not arguing with her over a binned meal and making the kids another dinner without making a fuss, giving her space and still being gorgeous by offering the smallest piece of help like bushing her hair for her reminded her why she could never want to take Vanessa for guaranteed. Why she should appreciate every thing she does for her. Why she _loved_ her. And now she had finally admitted it. And it never felt so good. 

She walked over to the bed slowly. She stood over Vanessa, a knee pressing into the mattress before taking the phone out of the blonde’s hand and placing it on the bedside table. Vanessa looked at her, puzzled.

“You okay?” 

Charity nodded. She positioned her legs between Vanessa’s, her hands resting next to her head. Leaning down, she took her bottom lip between her own and kissed her once, slowly, before biting her lip and pulling away. 

Vanessa moaned, wrapping her arms around Charity’s neck before speaking. “What was that for?” 

“For being the best girlfriend,” Charity smiled widely. She doesn’t think she’ll ever get tired of saying that. _Girlfriend_. 

Vanessa, while smiling back, raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re okay? It’s not like you say that.”

“I know,” she gulped. “But you know what these last couple of months have made me realise? I don’t think I could have done it without you.”

“Oh, Charity, yes, you cou—“

“No. I mean it. You’ve been the wind beneath my wings.”

Vanessa giggled, remembering the time she and Tracey watched the film from said quote _._ She was used to Charity speaking in riddles, metaphors and other crazy sayings but that one tickled her. She pulled the taller blonde down for another kiss.

“What’s so funny?” 

“Nothing. Just something Tracy said,” she replied, playing with her ends of Charity’s hair. She didn’t want to go into it, not now. It wasn’t a suitable time to bring it up. “Come here…”

She tightened her arms around her neck to bring their lips together again. 

“That’s my line,” Charity mumbled against her lips. 

Vanessa giggled. “Don’t let me steal your thunder.” 

She was having none of it. She took Vanessa’s arms from around her neck and pinned them to the mattress above her head before pressing her body more into the vet’s. 

God, did she love kissing this woman. Her lips were softer than anyone’s she’d known before. She had the softest touch and Charity would be lying if she said she didn’t melt at the touch of her fingertips every time. 

The kiss got more heated as time passed. Charity felt it ache in her body and she couldn’t stop herself from parting Vanessa’s legs with her knee and straddling her so she could grind herself into the blonde’s centre. 

Vanessa broke the kiss, gasping at the sensation and it spurred the barmaid on. Her kisses moved down to Vanessa’s neck, who used the opportunity to break free from the hands beside her head and move her own towards Charity’s hips and under her shirt for no other reason than she needed to feel the skin on her own. 

“God, I love you,” Charity gasped when their lips met again.

Vanessa smiled against her mouth. “You’re not just saying that now because you’re about to get lucky, are you?”

Charity scoffed. “Like I needed to before.”

Vanessa grinned, pulling her down by the end of her shirt. “I love you, too.” 


End file.
